Our Boring, Mundane Life
by MrsNazarioWrites
Summary: A series of oneshots and short stories exploring little moments of Damien and Maya's life together; Damien Nazario x MC; featuring the PM crew; mostly fluff, some angst. Majority take place post-PM
1. Silent Treatment

Hey everyone! So I deleted and reposted this story here to add it to what will now be a collection of oneshots and drabbles of Damien and Maya's life together. A few of these may take place in between canon events, but the majority are post-PM. As in the summary, these will capture little moments in their normal, boring life. Most are happy, some angsty, and some are downright ridiculous XD

Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Characters/canon belong to Pixelberry.

* * *

Damien woke up with his head resting on the hard surface of the coffee table. He blinked and took in his surroundings, realizing he was in the living room of his and Maya's apartment, not the bedroom. As he sat up groggily, he became aware of how stiff his muscles felt due to the uncomfortable position he'd slept in all night. He'd been working late on a difficult case and at some point, gotten overwhelmed and rested against his laptop for a second … at least it had felt that way before he'd dozed off for the rest of the night. As he stretched his aching shoulders, his hand touched something soft behind him and he turned to see-

_Uh oh._

Maya was fast asleep on their couch. Damien winced upon recalling his brief quarrel with her last night. She'd insisted that he not stay up all night working, but he'd refused to listen. In fact, in his irritation over not getting anywhere with the leads he'd collected so far, he _may _have even snapped at her to let him concentrate.

"_Fine," she huffed, exasperated. "Overwork yourself through the night and fall asleep on your laptop for all I care. Meanwhile, I'm going to bed."_

"_Great, I'll inform the media."_

Well she certainly hadn't been wrong about him falling asleep on his laptop. At that thought, he checked his surroundings again to find that his laptop had been closed and placed under the couch; its extension cord had also been unplugged and rolled up next to it. His case files and papers that had been previously strewn all over the table had even been picked up and stacked neatly into separate piles in the corner of the table.

Damien realized that later during the night, Maya must have come to check on him and cleared up his makeshift workspace, before falling asleep on the couch. He watched her breathing evenly as she curled into the couch pillows she'd used to cover herself and guilt settled over him. _Hopefully she's not too mad at me._

He hadn't meant to be short with her; the case he was working on had been a messy one and when it'd seemed like he was getting a solution to the roadblock he'd hit, Damien had wanted to work through it all the way. Though all he'd ended up doing was getting exhausted and taking out his frustration on Maya. He bent over to plant a quick kiss on her temple. She stirred at the movement and opened one eye to find him smiling down at her. "Morning," he said softly. Maya mumbled something sleepily under her breath and turned to face away from him.

"Sorry, I didn't get that. What did you say?" He got no response, but he was sure she was awake enough to have heard him. Damien let out a heavy sigh. _So much for that. _He frowned as he watched her shift her position slightly, trying to adjust with the couch pillows she'd used as a blanket. That certainly didn't look comfortable.

"Maya, you should go back to the bedroom," he said. "You sure you wanna stay on the couch? You look uncomfortable." She stayed right where she was, still not acknowledging him or what he'd said, and Damien shook his head. He'd expected as much. Maya was a lot more softhearted than he was, but the second she got mad, boy was she stubborn; maybe even worse than him. Damien fetched a soft fleece blanket from their bedroom, spreading it out over her and then tucking one of the couch pillows under her head. She relaxed a little more into her sleeping position, but still didn't talk to him.

_Even when she's half asleep she's determined to keep up the silent treatment. _

Then he smirked. _We'll see about that. _"You know what? You do look a little more comfortable. So much in fact …" he climbed into the couch next to her, in spite of the limited space, and wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her to his chest.

If Maya wasn't fully awake before, she definitely was now.

Damien felt her squirm in his hold and he combed her hair back, pressing his lips against her neck. "I'm sorry about last night, doll," he whispered into her ear as he stroked her hair. "You were right, I was overworked and I acted like an ass. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

She shivered in his arms and he held her more closely to him. "You still feel cold?" he asked, pretending as if he didn't know the real reason for this reaction. "Let me help with that." He began planting gentle kisses along her neck. He heard a soft sound in her throat before it quieted and her jaw stiffened. As Damien ventured more closely to her face, he could see her pressing her lips together as if to stifle a moan and he chuckled. "Feeling better?" Maya buried her face into her pillow. She detested morning breath and was likely anticipating that he would try to kiss her to get a reaction.

_Smart move, but I'm not done with you yet, Park. _He pulled her shirt down a little further and began sucking on a sensitive spot between her neck and shoulder as his hands roamed to her breasts, then to her thighs. He could hear another soft moan, muffled by her pillow, as she arched back against him. Damien's fingers brushed over the waistband of her pants before he changed his course and ran them up and down her sides. Maya suddenly jolted, writhing and squealing as he tickled her.

Finally, she wriggled out of his hold, knocking him off of the couch as she jumped to her feet. "What the hell, Damien?!" she demanded, looking thoroughly flustered.

"You can talk after all!" he exclaimed in a mock show of surprise. "I was worried you'd yelled so much last night that you'd lost your voice." He stood up, beaming triumphantly.

There was a ghost of a smile on her face for a split second before it disappeared. Instead, she crossed her arms and glared at him.

"Okay that's cute and all but now that you've talked, the silent treatment is officially over and you know it."

"Damien?"

"Yes?" His cocky grin still hadn't left his face.

"Get out of my face before I hit you with this pillow."

"Only if you forgive me for being such a … what did you call me last night?"

"A stubborn jackass?"

"Right, that."

"Ugh," Maya rolled her eyes as her lips twitched, giving away her amusement. "Fine, apology accepted. Happy now?"

Damien crossed around the table and pulled her into a hug, kissing her forehead. "Very happy." Then he grimaced as he rolled his shoulders a bit. "And a little sore."

"Good, you deserve it," she murmured into his chest as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"What do you say, we freshen up and go to that place down the street you like?" He suggested. "I'll buy us breakfast."

She smiled and nodded. "I'd like that." She then stepped back to pick up her blanket.

"Unless of course, you wanna finish what we started." Damien brought her free hand to his lips as he locked eyes with hers.

"_We _didn't start anything," Maya insisted. "You're the one who climbed on top of me while I was sleeping."

"Oh please, you were _definitely not _sleeping when I was-" He ducked just as a pillow sailed over his head. Then he turned just in time to catch her darting towards the bathroom, laughing as he gave chase.


	2. Case of the Neglected Laundry: Part I

**A/N:** This was originally meant to be a oneshot, but the characters did not cooperate and the wording got super long. So this is going to have two parts. This is Part 1.

Disclaimer: Characters/canon belong to Pixelberry.

* * *

"Maya?"

She looked up from the coffee she was sipping as she browsed through Netflix on the TV.

"Are you and Damien doing okay?" Nadia asked, taking a seat next to her.

She nodded. "Yeah, why?"

Nadia tilted her head in the direction of the kitchen counter. In front of it was a lidded basket full of clothes piled on top of one another. When Maya continued to stare blankly, Nadia elaborated. "I think this is the part where you explain the laundry basket. Is this some new interior decoration I don't know about?"

Maya let out a long, drawn out sigh.

She had done the laundry this week as she'd planned. But when getting ready to sort and fold the clothes in the basket, She'd been paged into work. On her way out, she'd asked Damien to do it. There had been a major highway accident with multiple injuries, so she'd ended up working much later into the night at the hospital. When she'd finally returned home, the basket was still sitting there and Damien was fast asleep on the couch, still in his work clothes; his briefcase lying haphazardly on the floor. Maya had been a little irked, but was too tired to make an issue of it so she had just gone straight to bed, figuring he'd do it the next day.

Damien was a logical, planning sort of person when it came to his work. But when it came to his personal space, he wasn't exactly stickler for cleanliness. It was never a major issue usually since he would still get the bare minimum done. Not this time though. Two weeks had passed and the basket was still sitting there, untouched. Neither of them had spoken of it or acknowledged it, yet somehow, both had made it a point to treat the very space and air around the basket like a crime scene.

_Nothing to see here, move along._

"Why didn't you just do it when you got back?" Nadia asked as Maya finished filling her in.

"Because I was already so overworked that night." Maya said indignantly. "I'd performed CPR on like 5 different people, given a kid 17 stitches, spent my snack break trying to convince a grown man not to drink Purell, gave this one guy a rec-"

"Okay, I get the point!" Nadia exclaimed. "You have a hard job and you were exhausted."

"Exactly!" Maya said. "All I wanted to do was sleep when I came back. Besides why should I pick up the load when I'd specifically asked him to do it?!"

"Maybe he had a stakeout or had to follow someone that time and also came back late?"

"He could've done it when he got back!"

"Is it possible that he assumed the same thing about you?"

Maya went silent at that. "That's … actually possible. But I clearly asked him to do it."

"And did he actually say yes?"

"Actually it was more like a 'hmph'. He was working on a case at the time."

"Then he could've forgotten too." she looked to the basket again. "Why don't you just talk to him about it?"

"Nadia please," Maya pinched the bridge of her nose. "This whole thing is weird enough without _you_ actually coming out as the voice of reason."

"Hey, I'm perfectly reasonable!" Nadia drew back, affronted.

"Then whose side are you on, exactly?"

"The house guest who's seen your lingerie in plain view for the third time this week."

Maya's face turned beet red. "What?! I-"

Both girls went silent as the front door opened and Damien walked in. "Maya, Nadia." He greeted them both with a smile before walking straight into the bedroom.

"Seriously the basket is right there," Maya muttered, irritated.

"Relax, I'm sure he'll do it once he gets changed."

They both hid their faces behind their coffee cups as Damien returned to the living room, only in his pants … and faced the laundry basket. Maya's jaw dropped as she watched him reach in and sift through the clothes, retrieving a clean shirt and putting it on before heading back inside. "Okay did you see that?" She hissed, turning to Nadia.

"Actually I did," Her cousin replied, an amused smile tugging on the corner of her lips.

"That can't just be a coincidence. He's totally avoiding it on purpose!" She turned to Nadia, who was shaking her head, laughing as she placed a hand on her forehead. "Do you not see this?"

"Do _you_ not see this?! You've been fighting for two weeks over _laundry_."

"We are _not_ fighting, Nadia."

"Okay fine, but you could at least acknowledge this is some sort of Mexican standoff."

Maya shrugged. "Maybe it is. But I'll tell you one thing …" She pointed subtly at the basket. "The one who folds that laundry is not going to be me."

Just as Nadia was about to reply, Damien returned to the living room and flopped onto the couch next to them, putting his arm around Maya's shoulder. She selected an option on the TV and they all settled in for the latest episode of _The Crown and the Flame. _About a half hour into the show, Maya glanced over Damien's shoulder at Nadia, locking eyes with her.

_No way_, Nadia mouthed at first. But at her cousin's pleading look, she rolled her eyes and then gave a subtle nod. "You know," she said, trying to keep her body language casual. "That basket's a good look for the living room."

Damien looked to her, momentarily startled. "Hmm?"

Nadia pointed to the laundry basket. "Gives the place a very comfy vibe," she said.

"Huh," Maya remarked, squeezing her boyfriend's hand 'absentmindedly'. "Maybe that's why it's still there."

"Yeah," He said, once again staring at the TV. "I guess it is." Maya watched him for several moments, then let out a soft sigh.

Nadia's phone beeped and she swiped it open to find a text from Maya: _"Can you believe him?"_

The girls avoided eye contact, keeping their eyes on the TV as they pretended to navigate social media on their phone while texting.

"_Lol OMG, girl he's definitely waiting you out." _

"_Ugh, well I'm done with this waiting game. 2 weeks is long enough!"_

"_idk Maya, this is D we're talking about. He'd be so good at pretending to forget that he might ACTUALLY forget!"_

"_Oh believe me, I'm gonna make him remember this."_

* * *

_**3 days later…**_

"Maya, have you seen my camera?"

"No," Maya said, before sipping her coffee. Her elbows rested on the kitchen counter as she leaned forward casually, listening to him shuffling around the bedroom in search of his camera.

"Well can you help me look for it? I've gotta be at a stakeout in a half hour."

"D, I'm sure you'll find it. Just clean up around a little more."

"I don't have time to clean up," he retorted, sounding mildly annoyed. "Can you just help me find it?"

She sighed. Was she being childish? Most likely. It had been three days since Nadia's visit and _still_ no indication from Damien that he remembered what he'd 'forgotten' to do. But _this_ he remembered – because it was for work, not because she'd asked him. "Damien, just think back to what you were doing this week. You're probably closer to finding it than you think."

She heard his footsteps rounding the corner and approaching her in the kitchen before they stopped right behind her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Maya winced. _Damn it, why is he so good at reading people? _She took a quick breath, knowing this was it. "Maybe you dropped it while you were sorting the laundry into the closet?"

"I didn't sort any laundry." There was suspicion in his tone now.

"Really? I distinctly remember asking you to do it." She said, never taking her eyes off of the coffee machine.

He shifted briefly before speaking again. "Maya?" She turned to find him standing with his arms crossed. "What did you do with the camera?"

"What makes you think I did anything with it?" She stepped forward and looped her arms around his neck, bringing her face closer to his. "I'm just trying to help you find it." Damien put a finger to her lips to stop her, before taking her hands in his and placing them back on the counter top, effectively trapping Maya between his arms.

She bit her lip as he watched her intently for a few seconds. Then something seemed to occur to him and he tilted his head towards the other side of the counter. "This wouldn't, by any chance, have anything to do with the laundry basket would it?" He shrugged nonchalantly, his gaze boring into her. "The one you left sitting out for the past few weeks?"

"Hmm," Maya pretended to think. "I think a more accurate description would be the laundry basket _you_ left sitting out for the past few weeks." She could barely hold back the smirk on her face.

Damien opened his mouth to retort, but then stopped, his eyes darting between her and the basket. Frowning, he pushed himself off of the counter and strode over to the basket. He looked at it, then back at her in disbelief. "Are you serious right now?!"

"And so that concludes the case of the missing camera! Courtesy of the brilliant detective Damien Nazario!" She grinned widely, clearly pleased with her handiwork. "Now for the case of the neglected laundry …"

He narrowed his eyes, realizing where she was going with this. "You do know I can just reach in and take it out?"

"Oh believe me I put it pretty far inside," she said as she approached him. "You're gonna have to do a lot more than reach if you wanna find it. Like say, I don't know, folding the clothes?"

"Do you realize what could happen if I lose this camera?! I need it for work, why would you do this?!"

"Oh don't be so dramatic, it's not like I hid it in the washing machine!"

Wordlessly, he tipped the basket over, watching all the clothes fall out before his camera landed on top of the pile. He picked it up, brandishing it in front of her angrily. "So to remind me to do the laundry, you hid my work camera in it?!"

"It wasn't a reminder. That would mean you forgot, which I _know _isn't true." She folded her arms, mimicking his earlier position as she eyed him accusingly. "I know you were avoiding it on purpose."

Damien stepped back, then crossed his arms as well; staring at her inquisitively, relentlessly. "You were the last person to do the laundry." If he wasn't in full detective-mode before, he was now.

She nodded. "I was." No way in hell was she gonna back down now.

"That means it was your turn to fold the clothes."

"Yes and I was about to," she confirmed. "But then I got paged into work so I asked you to do it."

"I don't remember that."

Maya glared at him. "Yes. You do." Before he could protest, she continued. "And when I got back, you still hadn't done it."

"It was two in the morning, and I'd just gotten back home and fallen asleep."

"Fine," she replied. "I accept that. But what about the next day? And the day after?" she stepped forward into his space. "And the _week_after?"

"First off, you came back the same night, I can say the same for you. And secondly, I don't remember saying I would do it. I just figured it was your turn, but then days passed and I thought you forgot."

Maya shook her head at him. "Why couldn't _you_ do it?"

Damien leaned forward, repeating her words. "Why couldn't _you_ do it?"

"I-" Her breath caught in her throat as he moved closer to her, one eyebrow slightly raised as he watched her expectantly. She stood straighter, nose-to-nose with him. "Because one, you _did_ say you would do it, and two, you moved the clothes first when you tossed them onto the floor to get the camera. So that means … Your. Turn." She lightly jabbed a finger into his chest to punctuate her last words.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "There is so much wrong with that statement that I don't even know what to say, but you know what?" He took two steps forward and Maya unconsciously backed up. "I've gotta get to work." Then he grabbed his briefcase and jacket, before storming out.

Maya placed her hand on her forehead just as he walked past her. "Damien wait," she turned around and walked towards him. "I was only trying to-" the door slammed shut before she could finish.

"If you think this means I'm gonna give in, you are _so_ wrong, Mr. Nazario!"

Unknown to her, Damien was already walking down the steps with a determined smirk on his face. "Well played, Miss Park," he whispered quietly as he dialed a number on his cell phone. "Too bad it's me you're up against."

* * *

_**2 days later…**_

Maya kicked her shoes off and plopped onto the couch with a tired sigh. She closed her eyes and napped peacefully for a few minutes before getting up and removing her scrubs and undershirt, tossing them into the washing machine. Then her eyes fell on the now-empty laundry basket, still sitting where it had been two days ago. The clothes that had been inside them were now on the floor in a messy pile. Still untouched, their placement into the closet long overdue. _This is getting ridiculous._

Damien hadn't said much to her since that stunt she'd pulled with his camera. It wasn't that they were giving each other the silent treatment; no, things were still okay between them. They'd still kiss each other before leaving for work, watch TV together in the evening and sleep in the same bed, albeit with their backs turned. But the silent war that had started between them was becoming a little more open.

Since that laundry basket had remained untouched for almost three weeks now, whatever clothes were up in the next washing cycle had just been directly tossed into the washing machine and dryer. And anytime either of them would pass the basket, they would make eye contact with the other, move as though to face it, then suddenly turn in the other direction; smiling smugly as the other rolled their eyes.

_At least we haven't had anyone over so far. This would be pretty embarrassing to explain._

Maya thought back to yesterday's argument, remembering how angry he'd been about her hiding his camera. This whole thing had felt so absurd from the start. Then she thought back to what Nadia had said. Was it really worth prolonging this over a pile of laundry?

Then Maya huffed indignantly. No, this wasn't about the laundry. This was about him trying to get out of doing something she'd asked him to help her with. By folding that laundry herself, she was setting a bad example. Somehow.

She shook herself out of that line of thought. Now wasn't the time to think about that; it was time for her to get ready for Nadia and Steve's dinner party. It wasn't a formal occasion or anything; just a small gathering with their close friends from their adventures with Eros. Alana happened to be in town as well and had surprisingly agreed to attend. Damien would be heading directly there from his office since he was getting out from work sooner and she'd decided to meet everyone there once she was done with her shift.

As she moved past the laundry basket towards her bedroom, a small post-it attached to the kitchen counter caught her attention.

_Maya,_

_I have a little surprise for you. In the bedroom._

Was this his way of telling her he wasn't mad at her anymore?

A small smile curved at her lips.

Maya had already thought about talking this out and this just made the prospect all the more appealing. Perhaps tonight, they could work out a compromise. They'd faced much worse problems than this together. Surely this wouldn't be _that_ hard to resolve. There was a light skip in her step as Maya walked into the bedroom and rushed to the closet, quickly pulling out a new dress she'd bought that she figured he'd love on her.

Then as she turned to look for this 'surprise', another note on the bed caught her attention. "What the-" She frowned as she read it.

Then something on the bedside table caught her eye. All color drained from her face and shivers ran up her spine. Maya's hands flew to the sides of her face and she let out a loud scream as she recoiled in disgust.

After a moment of shock, she turned away from the gross sight and dashed out of the bedroom, slamming the door and then pressing her back against it. Her eyes squeezed shut and she shuddered, rubbing her arms unconsciously as she tried to get that image out of her head; unaware of the high pitched squeaks coming out of her as she freaked out over what she'd just seen.

A fucking tarantula in a fucking cage. With bedding and everything.

At least it was in a cage, so it wouldn't crawl its furry ass out of there right? Maya shuddered again at the thought and made sure the door was closed securely. Then she let out a sigh of relief before her fists closed over the note in her hands.

Fuming, Maya brought the note back up to re-read it:

_It doesn't have to be this way. Just fold the clothes and I'll make it go away. _

"Oh hell to the fucking NO!"


	3. Case of the Neglected Laundry: Part II

**A/N:** Here's Part 2!

Disclaimer: Characters/canon belong to Pixelberry.

* * *

The house was relatively quiet, except for Nadia's animated chatter with Sloane and Hayden as they watched _Desire and Decorum_. Steve was busy at the kitchen putting his final touch on the dessert. Alana leaned back in the couch with a bored expression on her face.

Sloane let out an outraged shout at the TV. "And once again Duke Richards ruins a perfectly nice moment with his disgusting comments!"

"Yeah, take a hike you, pissy old ballsack!" Nadia said heatedly to the pixelated character.

Hayden chuckled and turned to Alana, who was rolling her eyes at the screen. "Not a fan of dramas set in the 18th century?"

"I was promised a party," she replied. "Not hours worth of poetry rap battles. It's giving me flashbacks to when I had to read Shakespeare in high school."

He lowered his voice. "Aw come on, it's not that bad!"

"You're not wrong." Alana held up her newly-filled wine glass. "And I have _this_ to thank for it." She grinned as they clinked their glasses together.

The conversation was cut off by the sound of someone knocking the door. Nadia paused the channel to go answer it. "Maya!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"Where is he?" Her cousin demanded as she walked right past her.

"I- he's-"

"Damien Nazario, get your ass out here, _right now_!" Maya marched into the living room to find Hayden, Steve, Sloane and Alana staring at her.

"Well hello to you too," Alana deadpanned.

The door to the bathroom opened and Damien hurried out. "What's with the- oh." He stopped short when he saw Maya. "Hi, Maya."

"You. Asshole." She bit out, fuming.

"I take it you found the note."

"I cannot believe you would do this!"

"You hid my camera in the laundry!"

"Oh that poor camera!" Maya exclaimed, placing her hand over her heart in a show of malaise. "So the logical solution was to lure me into the bedroom with some cryptic note for your '_surprise_'?!"

"Um, guys?" Sloane spoke up hesitantly. "Maybe this is an issue that could be more productively handled at your apartment?"

"You're right Sloane," Maya said. "But sadly, it can't because now I _can't_ go into my own bedroom!"

Damien crossed his arms, smirking. "Come on, Maya don't you think that's a little dramatic?"

"Dramatic?!" She yelled. "You put a tarantula in our bedroom!"

There was a collective gasp.

"You _what_?!" Nadia's eyes nearly bulged out of her head.

"Oh man, you didn't …" was all Hayden could say.

Alana was resting her hands on her chin, sporting the biggest shit-eating grin. "Now _this_ is a party," she slurred, leaning forward as she sipped at her wine.

"Hey!" Damien's eyes widened at Maya's word choice. "I did _not_ put a _tarantula_ in the bedroom!" He asserted, pointing a finger indignantly. "I put a _fake_ tarantula _in a cage_ in the bedroom!"

"A fake-?" Maya's eyes narrowed. Then she clenched her fists. "The spider was _fake_?"

"A beanie bag from the store," He said. "I know how you feel about spiders, Maya. You don't really think I'd use a _real_ one, do you?!"

An astonished squeak escaped her as she stared at Damien in disbelief. "And you do remember who was the last person to scare me with a fake?"

Damien blinked, then his jaw dropped. "Oh come on, you really wanna go _there_?"

"Damn right, I will, Mr. _Indescr_-"

"_Don't_." He bit out. They glared at each other for a moment, before Damien's eyes softened a bit. "Look I thought you'd have figured out it was fake when it didn't move."

"I don't know Damien, maybe I was too busy screaming my head off. What about the cage?!"

"I thought that sealing it in an enclosed space would make it less creepy than it sitting out in the open."

"Yeah?" Maya's tone was dripping with sarcasm in a way that rivaled Damien's. "How's that working for you?"

He was so wrong about it not being creepy. Even though Maya _had _felt maybe a tad relieved that while she was gone, it wasn't going to wriggle under the door or hide somewhere else in the apartment.

Although now that she knew it was fake, it wasn't gonna move at all really, but still …!

Damien could feel everyone's eyes on him as he watched her. Then he sighed and hung his head. "You're right," he admitted. "I crossed a line and I'm sorry." She turned away, scoffing at him in exasperation, but he placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her in place. "I really am sorry, Maya. I shouldn't have done that. I was just trying to get back at you for what you did, all because I didn't fold the damn laundry!"

"I was only trying to make you do it, because you left it sitting out to spite me," Maya said defensively, shrugging his hand off. She could feel another argument coming up and this was hardly the place to do it. But this issue had been festering for weeks and now that she'd just flown off the handle, there was no going back.

"You know, it was _your_ turn so I figured you would do it at some point," Damien argued. "I don't know why you were waiting for me to do it!"

"Oh please, you deliberately ignored me when I first told you about it!" Maya retorted. "So why should I do it?"

"You ended up coming back that same night anyway! So why should I do it?"

"Did you not _hear_ what I _said_?"

"How can you know that I heard what you said? I was half asleep. This didn't even cross my mind!"

"So you didn't think it would drive me crazy to see the laundry just sitting around for two weeks?"

Their voices started to go up again as they went back and forth. Steve inched his way towards them, only to be pulled back by Nadia. Then the oven timer suddenly went off and he scurried in there to attend to it.

"If it bothered you this much, why couldn't you just talk to me?!"

"Why didn't _you_ talk to _me_?!"

"Because you didn't tell me to do the laundry in the first place!" Damien exclaimed. "You just _assumed_ I would do it."

"I _did_ ask you to do it, and you _did_ hear me!" At Damien's confused expression, Maya elaborated the same thing she'd told him earlier. "The night I got paged into work, I told you I didn't have time to fold the clothes and you said you'd do it."

"When did I ever say that?!"

"You heard me ask and you said 'hmph'."

"That's all you're basing this on?"

"What do you mean, 'that's all'? You said 'hmph'."

"But I didn't specifically say-"

"No, you said-"

"No I didn't!"

"Yes you-"

"I said-"

"You acknowledged that you would do it!"

"Well that doesn't count. It's not an affirmative answer!"

"Well it's not a negative answer either, and you acknowledged it so that makes it affirmative."

"That's not- that doesn't even make-" Damien gestured wildly in a show of incredulity. "Look you can twist my words all you like, Maya, but my point still stands. Me saying 'hmph' doesn't count as an answer."

"If you feel that way then why did you ignore me instead of giving me a '_real_' answer?"

"I didn't ignore you, I just didn't remember what you asked!"

"Oh for the love of-" She groaned in frustration. "You have no attention span!"

"And you have no sense!"

Hayden snorted, but quickly covered it up by pretending to cough. Sloane was looking between them with wide eyes, completely perplexed as she tried to process what exactly they were arguing about.

Alana raised an eyebrow, still smirking behind her wine glass. "People wonder why I don't wanna settle down, I just don't know what to tell them."

"For the last time, it was _fake_!"

"Why did you have to use one at all?!" Maya snatched a pillow from the couch and swung it towards Damien. "You left me… alone … with a fake … spider!" She punctuated with each swing.

Nadia jumped in front of her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, no rough housing in the living room!" She yelled as she snatched at the pillow.

"Maya, are you _insane_?!" Damien demanded.

"Don't call me insane, _spider-collector_!"

"You smacked my ass with a pillow!"

"Of course I did!" Maya shouted. "'Cause that's where your brain is!"

"Or maybe it's 'cause you left _yours_ in the laundry like you did with my camera!"

"_Oh my god_," Nadia groaned in exasperation. "_I_ will fold the clothes myself if you two would just grow up!" Damien and Maya gaped at her and she smirked. "Yeah, that's right! Now, both of you behave yourselves or there's no dessert for either of you."

A tense silence passed as the couple glared at each other.

Hayden let out a low whistle. "Damn." He, Sloane and Alana were all standing nearby, looking between the two of them, with expressions of nervousness, confusion and amusement respectively.

Then Maya nodded at her cousin. "You're right Nadia, we're sorry."

"Yeah, me too." Damien scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Talk about bad timing, huh?" he joked half-heartedly. Maya's eye twitched at that and he winced.

"Actually your timing couldn't be more impeccable," Alana quipped, gesturing to the TV. "Because now I didn't have to watch that horrendous finale." Sloane elbowed her in the ribs and she stumbled a bit, courtesy of all the wine she'd been drinking. "What? We're all thinking it!"

Maya closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Damien did the same and he stepped toward her. "I'll get rid of the fake spider once we leave." he said softly as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Okay?"

"Once _you_ leave." she corrected. "_I'm_ gonna stick around a little longer. And when I get back home, your beard better be the only furry thing in the apartment."

"Fine."

"Fine."

They continued to stare at each other. Although this particular issue had resolved quickly, their eyes were still communicating the challenge that remained. All of this had just been a misunderstanding that had spiraled so out of control that it was hard to tell who was wrong at this point. Someone had to end it before they made even bigger fools of themselves.

Question was, who would be the one to end it?

The sound of Steve hustling around the kitchen broke everyone out of their trance and they turned to find him coming out wearing an apron and oven mitts, holding a large tray. "Lemon bars, anyone?"

"Ooh I want some!" Sloane exclaimed and Hayden followed her as everyone rushed excitedly to the dinner table, all the recent chaos suddenly forgotten, to partake in the delicious meal laid out for them.

Surprisingly, the rest of the party went off without a hitch. One would think that a couple's spat could completely ruin the evening. Not for this crew, though. The whole mess with Eros had brought everyone together in a time of extreme stress. They had become a sort of makeshift family. Plenty of arguments had been witnessed in that time.

So at this point, a little family drama was nothing new to them.

Still, that didn't stop them from exchanging awkward glances, struggling to hold in their laughter, as Damien and Maya ate their dinner and maintained conversation with everyone but each other.

This was going to be a long evening …

* * *

_**Later that night …**_

Damien looked up as the door opened and Maya walked in and set her purse on the table. "Hey," He said as he stood up from the couch.

"Hey." Maya walked past him into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. She could feel him approaching her from behind but said nothing even as his arms encircled her waist.

"I got rid of it," he offered.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

Damien stayed still, unsure how to continue. This had to be the most ridiculous fight they'd ever had, but thanks to his latest prank, she was angry at him. Now that he thought about it, he sort of remembered her casually saying something about doing the laundry but he'd been so tired that he ended up forgetting altogether.

As days passed, Damien had noticed the basket was still sitting there. As organized as she was, Maya tended to be forgetful sometimes so he'd brushed it off at first, figuring that she'd get to it at some point. Normally, this would be bothering her. But she never mentioned it, so neither did he.

Still Damien would find little ways to test the waters by wearing clothes specifically from the basket, only to get little reaction from her. Soon, it became obvious that she was avoiding it and waiting for him to do something; especially when from time to time, he would catch her glancing at him curiously whenever he would go anywhere near the basket.

Damien had taken that as a challenge and what started as a minor miscommunication had turned into a two week passive-aggressive war that escalated over a few pranks. Once the dinner party was over, he'd come home and thrown out the toy spider and cage as promised.

At least after moving all the small objects Maya had put in front of the door as a barricade.

That was when the guilt had really settled in for him. "I didn't mean to scare you, Maya," he said. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." She placed one of her hands over his as he held her close, kissing her temple.

"Soo about the laundry …" She suddenly turned around and he fell silent at the hard look she was giving him, her expression incredulous. Then she closed her eyes for a few seconds. When she opened them, her expression had calmed.

"You know what Damien?" There was a new resolve in her voice. "I will do the laundry."

He blinked. "Wait, what?"

"For the record, I'm not giving in to that little note you wrote." Maya replied. "I'm gonna do it." Her lips twitched into a smirk for a split second before she held it back. "Because _I_ will be the one who did it." Her hair whipped around as she strode over to the laundry with purpose.

Damien watched her, both confused and wary at her tone. All this time, she'd refused to do the laundry just like he had. Then after his prank, and with the way she'd let loose on him today, he'd been prepared to go ahead and fold the clothes with her. Now she was insisting on doing it herself? _No way, she's definitely up to something. _

"Wait." he maneuvered around her and blocked her path. "What's with the reverse psychology?"

"I'm not up to anything, I'm just ending this stupid fight, and then getting some sleep – on the couch of course." She hastily added at the end. "I'm not going into that bedroom for at least the next few days." Then Maya picked up a few clothes and threw them into the basket with some force. As she reached for another, she turned to find him dumping everything back onto the floor. "What are you doing?"

"Put down the pantyhose."

"Excuse me?"

"I'll do the laundry." Damien reached for the pantyhose she was holding, but she swatted his hand away.

"No, you don't get to pull this on me now!" She snapped. "You got what you wanted, now I'm doing the laundry _by myself_ whether you like it or not." She moved away from him as he reached forward, but this time he managed to get a grip on the long stockings.

"If I'm not doing it, then neither are you. Wasn't that how this whole thing started?!"

"Yes, and it was stupid! Now I wanna be the bigger person and end it."

Damien narrowed his eyes. "I won't ask you a third time," He said evenly, tugging at the pantyhose. "Let it go. I'm doing it."

"You are _not_ touching that laundry, Damien!"

Whatever they'd been angry about before was long forgotten. Clearly they were just fighting for the sake of fighting at this point.

With a pantyhose. They were fighting over a pantyhose.

They tugged back and forth, their glares slowly turning playful as the tension from before lifted and the ridiculousness of this situation fully settled in.

Damien slipped the article of clothing out of Maya's hand and held it above and behind him, grinning triumphantly as she reached across his chest to try and get it. "Give it up, Park. Your panties are mine."

Maya leaned close to him, whispering seductively in his ear. "Not if I can help it …" She heard his breath catch and took the opportunity to snatch the garment back and dashed towards the basket. "Ha! Now they're mine!"

"Wha- oh you're gonna pay for that!" Suddenly, Damien charged forward, tackling her to the floor and holding her waist as he tickled her. Maya shrieked with laughter, squirming and wrestling with him until they were tangled in the pile of clothes that were undoubtedly crumpled up by now due to their antics.

At some point, Maya was straddled on top of Damien, pinning his hands on either side of his head. He smiled and intertwined his fingers with hers. "Seems like we've reached an impasse." They looked to the lacy garment lying somewhere far from them, then at each other … and burst out laughing.

"I agree," she said, surveying the mess they'd made around them. "Looks like we'll have to wash these clothes anyway. They've been on the floor for almost a month now."

"We really are a couple of idiots."

"Some of us more than others," Maya giggled. "I still can't believe you took the time to get a cage and bedding for the toy spider." Her expression sobered just a little at that. "Just … don't do that again, okay?"

"I won't, I promise." He tilted his head towards one of her hands and gave it a gentle kiss. "I'm sorry I scared you with a fake spider."

"And I'm sorry I hid your camera," Maya said, smiling shyly before shaking her head. "God, Nadia is never gonna let us live this down."

"You got that right. But you know …" Damien pushed her hands back, grabbed her forearms and pulled her closer to him so their noses were almost touching. He grinned as she caught herself with her hands splayed across his chest. "Seeing you get all worked up like that actually got me thinking. Why waste all that energy fighting when we could be doing … other things?" he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Other things?" Maya rested her arms on his shoulders as she pretended to think. "Like the laundry?"

"_Maya_ …" he whined at her teasing, and she laughed even harder.

"Perhaps." She gently trailed a finger down his cheek. "It's certainly something to think about." She brushed her lips against his, sighing softly as his fingers trailed along her back.

"Hey," he tugged her hips gently. "What do you say we take this to the bedroom?"

"Nope, I'm good here."

"You're wondering if it's still in there, aren't you?" He laughed when she smacked his shoulder. "Maya, I swear I got rid of it."

"Who needs a bedroom?" Maya whispered, kissing along his jaw as she slid her hands under his shirt. "When there's a perfectly comfy pile of clothes underneath us?"

"Maya Park," Damien raised an eyebrow, his breathing quickening as she felt up his chest. "I like the way you think." He reached for the zipper of her dress. "And did I mention how amazing you look in that dress?"

"I knew you would. But first," She'd just slipped off his tie and was now finishing unbuttoning his shirt. "You've got some making up to do."

"All right then," he said with a devilish smirk. "Show me what you've got."

"Yes, sir."


	4. Dessert

**A/N: **Here's another slice of fluff for you guys! This chapter doesn't have any mature content, but it does contains some innuendo.

**Summary:** It's just another normal day for Damien Nazario, preparing dessert for a later dinner party although his girlfriend is not nearly as focused on the task at hand.

* * *

The smell of lemon wafted in the air from a package lying next to the stove, where Damien was working. Humming softly along with the song playing on radio, he finished laying out the graham cracker crust on the pan and then set it aside. Then he proceeded to empty some cream cheese into a mixing bowl and was preparing to mix it when he suddenly remembered another vital ingredient.

"Ah, damn it … Maya pass me the sugar?" Damien angled his head to the left where his girlfriend was standing on a chair, searching shelves for ingredients. He heard her move, but a few seconds passed and no sugar yet. He sighed. _Aaand this is why I do most of the cooking around here. Thankfully. _"Maya, the dinner is tonight and we're already-"

A small pair of arms wrapped around his waist and Damien rolled his eyes, unable to hold back the smile that'd instantly appeared on his face. "What are you doing?" He asked knowingly. As if in response, her cheek pressed into his back.

"Whatever do you mean by that?" She asked sweetly.

"You know what I mean," he chuckled. "Now can you please just find the sugar?"

Maya shrugged, feigning innocence in her tone. "I found it." She didn't move from her spot even as she said that.

"What does that even-" Damien stopped himself, instantly realizing what she was implying. "Wait. _No._ Don't even-"

"… 'Cause you're sweeter than sugar."

He shut his eyes and let out a loud groan of exasperation. Behind him, Maya started giggling. "Why do I even bother with you?"

"Aww come on," she slid around from behind to rest her chin on his shoulder. "You know you love it."

Damien kept his eyes on the cream cheese in the mixing bowl, trying not to get distracted by her warm breath against his ear. "I honestly can't tell right now if you genuinely can't find the sugar or if you're just this bad at pick-up lines."

She huffed, mock-offended. "How rude! And here I thought we were gonna have _dessert_ tonight …" Maya gave him a long kiss on his cheek and then drew back, moving to walk away only to find herself backed into the counter, trapped from both sides by his arms braced against the surface.

"Now hold up just a second." Damien shook his head at her. "_You_ wanted to make cheesecake, so I got all the ingredients out, and now you're trying to get us sidetracked." His hands moved from the counter to her back, traveling down till they reached her waist, then pulled himself closer to her so abruptly that she grabbed his shoulders for support. He locked eyes with her for a few seconds, then smirked. "Maya, did you actually _want_ to make dessert tonight or were you just looking for an excuse to use that line?"

"Now that's just unfair," Maya pouted. "Can't I just love you _and_ want dessert?"

He shrugged. "Depends on which definition of 'dessert' we're talking about here."

"Pfft, you know _exactly_ what I'm talking about."

"Well in future, use less terrible lines."

"If it was so terrible, why do you have me up against the counter right now?" She raised an eyebrow suggestively.

Well she certainly had him there.

Conflicted, Damien looked between the current mess of the kitchen and the clock. "You're going to make us late."

"Sooo? That's never stopped you in the past," she cooed softly, brushing her hips against his. "But if you're too burned out from all this cooking, I understand."

"I'm warning you, doll." His palms pressed firmly against her bottom and she shivered lightly. "You keep running your mouth like that, I'll bend you over my knee right now."

Maya brought her face closer to his, then licked her lips. "Then why don't you do it … _Sir?_"

Damien cursed under his breath and immediately hoisted her over his shoulder, striding towards the bedroom with purpose. Maya let out a surprised squeal and beat her fist playfully against his back. He responded with a light _smack!_ to her bottom.

"Wait! You didn't pre-heat the oven yet, did you?!"

"Goddamn it! Wait here while I check …"

The cheesecake could wait, for Damien Nazario had already decided what he wanted for dessert tonight.


	5. All I Need

**Summary:** Tonight is Damien and Maya's first official date since coming home. But not everything goes according to plan . . .

* * *

This wasn't fair. This wasn't supposed to happen. After everything she'd been through to get to this point, this was not how she'd planned to start her new life. Not like this.

Maya cried out as another wave of pain surged through her abdomen and shot out through her intimate areas. She squirmed uncomfortably, breathing deeply as if that would quell the intense agony coursing through her.

After months of her life being an endless limbo of chaos while on the run, she and her friends had successfully taken down Eros. It hadn't been easy to return to their normal lives, what with all the attention their story had gotten from the media. But it was finally over. Once they'd gotten back to New York and settled in, Damien had taken the leap and asked her out on their first official not-on-the-run date. Maya had been excited all week. She'd finished all her errands and had even booked an early appointment at the salon for a day-long session of pampering with Nadia. The outfit she'd picked out was hanging separately from her other clothes in the closet, ready to be used.

Everything was perfect.

Except she'd gotten her goddamn period.

Less than two hours before Damien was supposed to come and pick her up, Maya had had a sinking feeling when the all too familiar cramping had started up. She'd decided to take her painkillers, only to find that they'd expired months ago. The one thing she'd forgotten to do in her excitement for today: replace the damn painkillers. By the time she'd changed and gotten ready for a mad rush to the store, the pain had fully settled in and now here she lay, curled up on the bathroom floor, tear-stained cheeks pressed into the rug. As the latest cramp stopped, Maya reached out weakly to pick up her phone; trying not to stretch too much lest she aggravate her cramp again.

_Shit. Too late._

—-

There was a light skip in his step as Damien walked to his car, holding a small bouquet. These hadn't been easy to find, but luckily, this store had it. Maya wasn't normally into flowers as gifts, but he knew she'd made an exception for Jasmine flowers because of their scent.

Just as he was about to turn the key in the ignition, his cellphone rang with Maya as the incoming caller.

"Hello?"

"Damien? I don't . . . think I can make it tonight."

"Oh . . ." He drew back slightly, his hand automatically going to the bouquet sitting on the passenger's seat. "Do you want to reschedule? Or . . ." He felt a nagging doubt creep into him as he tried to decipher her tone. Had she changed her mind?

"Yeah . . ." She replied weakly. "Wait, no, I mean-" Maya cut off for a second. The strain in her voice was apparent now. "Reschedule- I want-"

"Maya?" Damien frowned, sitting up straighter now. "Is everything okay?"

There was a sniffle on the other end. "I-" She suddenly cried out. "I have- oh god!"

"Maya?!" Damien's eyes widened and he gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles whitened. "What happened?!"

"Damien, I need painkillers!" She was sobbing now, anything else she was saying came out incoherently.

"Maya," Damien's heart was racing as he tried his best to calm her down. "Maya, slow down." Millions of thoughts were going through his mind as to what had happened. "Are you alone in the apartment? Did someone-"

"No . . ."

"Do you need me to call 911?"

"No, don't- this is normal. Cramps . . ." She stopped crying at some point, but her voice was still wavering. "Midol. Get me Midol."

_Midol. Why does that sound so familiar? _Luckily, Damien was still parked right next to the grocery store. As he bought the medicine she'd asked for, he looked it over and saw-

_Menstrual relief._ That's when it dawned on him what was going on with her.

Damien's mind was on autopilot as he quickly paid for the medicine and a bottle of water, then drove the rest of the way to her apartment. He tried calling Maya again, growing more worried by the second. Even though he knew now that this wasn't a life threatening situation, the way she'd sounded on the phone had still scared the hell out of him. Once he arrived, he bounded up the stairs, found the spare key to her place and burst inside. Damien found her lying on the bathroom floor, half-facedown, half on her side; curled into a fetal position. "Maya?" He knelt down, gently placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Don't move me. I'm fine now." She murmured, breathing deeply.

"Can you tell me where it hurts?"

She moved her hand down to her stomach. "Down here. And . . . lower than that." Then Maya reached for him as she was barely able to speak.

Damien was alarmed now. "Okay that's it, I'm calling-"

"Period cramps . . ." She nudged him. "The painkillers. Hurry."

"Oh! Right." He immediately fished the tiny bottle from his bag and helping her into a sitting position. Once Maya took the pills, she sighed and leaned her head against his chest, still clutching her stomach. "You can put me back down," she said softly. "They'll take effect soon hopefully."

Damien complied, then sat back on his heels and blew out his cheeks, feeling the weight on his chest lighten up a bit. "So it's period cramps. You couldn't have told me that, before? I only realized when I saw the medication. I was worried about you."

She turned just her head so she could look at him. "It's not exactly easy to bring up, Damien!"

"Maya, I grew up with four sisters. This isn't exactly new to me."

She went silent for a few moments. "Right. I didn't think about that." Then she suddenly grabbed at the area between her legs and curled into herself. "Oh god, it's happening again!" She pressed her face into the rug, muffling her agonized groans as she clutched her stomach and breathed heavily. Damien pulled her into his arms, whispering reassuringly in her ear as Maya cried for several more minutes. Once she quieted down, she slumped against him and buried her face in his shirt.

"Is it always this bad?" He eyed her, concerned by the state she was in.

"Mmhmm . . . if I don't take my painkillers on time."

"I mean, I've seen my sisters go through this, but you really sounded like you were in . . . well . . . _a lot_ of pain back on the phone."

Maya nodded. "It's been this way since I started. Did all the visits, got checked for appendicitis whenever someone called 911, polycystic ovarian syndrome etc."

"And?"

"Nothing," she murmured. "Some women just have awful periods."

"So nothing works?"

"Well one of the things that worked was me exercising. A lot. Kept up a daily routine and it made them less severe. And as a bonus, I didn't have to pop pills over this."

Damien nodded, listening intently. "So . . . what happened this time?"

"_Eros_ happened, that's what." Maya's features twisted into a glare. "We went on the run, we were constantly hiding out, so my whole routine got screwed up and now I'm back to square one. Plus in the time I was gone, my stupid painkillers expired and I forgot to replace them."

"Right, that'll do it." He kept talking with her for a few more minutes, noticing when she finally began to relax as the painkillers took effect. "Okay, let's get you to bed." When she started to protest, he shook his head. "I'm not letting you sleep on the bathroom floor, doll."

"But I'm hungryyy," she whined, eliciting a chuckle from him. "And-"

"And you wanna watch something good on TV that makes you forget how much you hate being a girl just for today."

". . . Yeah."

"All right, fine. Couch it is, then." Damien gently lifted her in his arms bridal-style and then carried her towards the living room. "Oh and another thing? No scary movies. You need to relax. Plus I'm still sore from the last time we watched 'The Grudge' when you freaked-"

"Hey, I did not _freak out_-"

"When you _freaked out_ and jumped into my lap. In the theater. And stayed there the whole time."

"Fiiiine. So bossy." Then she smirked devilishly. "Admit it, Damien. You secretly enjoyed that."

"I did not." Even as he said that, a faint blush tinged his cheeks.

Once Damien lowered Maya onto the couch, he handed her the TV remote so she could turn on Netflix. Then he went back to the bathroom and at her direction, rummaged through the drawers until he found a heating pad. Back in the living room, she'd already situated herself against her pillows, covered herself with a small fleece blanket and turned on one of her favorite comedy shows. After plugging the pad in and giving it to her to put on, Damien noticed a wistful smile on her face that sobered when he looked at her questioningly.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I-" Her gaze drifted down to his chest, eyeing the elegant black suit he was wearing, and sighed. "I'm sorry I ruined our date."

"Ruined? How?"

"This." She gestured up and down at him. "You . . . you got all dressed up tonight and . . . you look so handsome." she sniffled. "And we were supposed to go out for dinner."

"Maya . . ." Damien's face had lit up from her compliment, but upon hearing her sniffle, he frowned.

"And instead you're here babysitting me."

"Hate to break it to you sweetheart," Damien sat next to her, running a hand through his hair. "I'm always babysitting you," he laughed, dodging the pillow she swung at him.

"I was being sincere! You're the worst!" Maya giggled, poking and shoving at him until another cramp hit. "Oooh . . ._ oww, owww_." She stopped and cringed, pressing the heating pad to her stomach.

Damien's eyes widened and he quickly scooted into the spot she'd made for him on the couch and wrapped his arms around her, shushing her gently. "Shh . . . try and relax, okay? Don't tense up too much or it'll get worse." He started rubbing her lower back in soothing circles. "Were those painkillers not . . .?"

"They're working fine. Like you said, I just shouldn't strain myself for sometime." Her pained expression melted when he kissed her temple, then her cheek. "So where were we gonna go tonight?"

Damien watched her face, hesitating for a moment, then relented. "Olive Garden."

Maya groaned. "And that's how you ruin a life. Congratulations."

"What? But I thought you liked-"

"Not _that_ Damien," she said. "I was talking about my uterus." She glared at the region that had utterly ruined her plans for today. "Of all the days, why today?!"

"Hey, it's okay," He reassured her. "This is not your fault."

"I had a spa day, got a dress picked out and everything and then this – _OW!_ – happens!" Maya wiped her tears, wincing again as she clutched Damien's shirt instinctively, curling herself against him. "I just wanted tonight to be perfect."

"I think it _is_ perfect." When she glared at him, he hastily added, "Okay not _exactly_, considering you're in pain." He started tucking her blankets more snugly around her as he spoke. "But the whole point of a date is spending time together and . . . well . . . that's exactly what we're doing now."

"And what are we gonna do about food? I've got nothing here."

"Don't worry about it." He waved her off, already dialing a number on his cell phone. "I already cancelled the reservation. I'm gonna have them deliver the food instead. You still like their salad and eggplant parmesan right?"

"Yep."

"On it."

"Ooh and get their Black Tie Mousse cake for dessert!"

"Got it. Anything else, milady?"

". . . and a Chocolate Brownie Lasagna." He gaped at her and she batted her eyelashes, smiling innocently. "Any comment . . . _Sir_?"

His eyes flashed. Then he jumped slightly in his seat, visibly trying to shake himself out of whatever thought crossed his mind. "Um-" he quickly cleared his throat. "Nope, not at all."

She merely rolled her eyes, snickering. _Too easy_.

Once Damien placed their orders, he set the phone down and went back to cuddling with her as they watched TV. Maya sighed contently as his hands skimmed over her arms, shoulders and back; reveling in the warmth, both from him and from the heating pad between them. "How are you feeling now?"

"Mmm . . . a little better." She nuzzled into his neck. "I love it when you spoil me."

"Good." Damien grinned, sliding his hand up to pet her hair as he cradled her with his other arm.

"You know at the end of the date, I wanted to do way more than just lying in the couch and watching Netflix . . . so much more than _this_ . . ." Maya reached out and tilted his chin towards her, kissing him sweetly. "I'll make it up to you, D. I promise."

"Maya . . ." Damien leaned in and deepened the kiss, weaving his fingers into her hair. "There's nothing to make up for," He whispered between kisses. When they separated, his eyes were glistening with affection. "It doesn't matter what we're doing. Whether it's dining together . . ." he took her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm, "fooling around in bed . . ." her shoulder, "or just Netflix and chill." and then her neck. "All I need is you."

Maya's lips quivered as she gazed at her boyfriend tenderly. "Damien . . ." Maya felt his thumb brush across her cheek as he leaned in again and she closed her eyes in surrender . . .

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

The loud triple chime from Damien's cellphone snapped them both out of their trance and he quickly stood up. "Looks like our dinner's here! I'll be back." He shot her a quick wink and rushed out. Maya stared in that direction fondly. She couldn't believe that just a few months ago, it had felt like after four years of friendship, she'd never get the chance to tell Damien how she felt – or that she might even lose him before they could be together for real. Even when they'd first confessed their feelings for each other, the circumstances had been far from perfect; downright dangerous in fact. Yet things fell into place in the end. Because somehow, they always found ways to come through for each other. Just like Damien had come through for her tonight when she needed him.

There was no life changing event, no horrifying revelation about Eros. Just a normal date night that hadn't gone according to plan . . .

"By the way," she looked up at the sound of his voice again. "I had these in the car, I must've left them there when I ran up here looking for you."

. . . and as Damien walked back in balancing a bag of takeout in one arm and holding a bouquet of her favorite Jasmine flowers in the other, Maya was certain she wouldn't change a thing.


	6. Unexpected

**A/N:** Family fluff. So much fluff. This is technically the first one I'm writing with kids in it, so hopefully I can do justice to it!

**Summary:** Maya comes home to something very amusing... this is what Damien gets for falling asleep on the couch

* * *

There were a lot of things Maya would expect to see Damien doing when she came home from work today – standing in the kitchen, drinking coffee as he made dinner, sitting and boredly flipping through channels … or just sleeping on the couch like he was right now, snoring softly.

What she wasn't expecting was the makeup smeared all over his face.

Her jaw dropped as she took in the foundation unevenly applied, the blue eyeshadow, lips painted pink and an impeccable heart that had been drawn on his cheek with some eyeliner. "Oh my-" Maya bit her lip when Damien grunted in his sleep, causing him to pout ever so slightly, pronouncing his pink lipstick. Shaking with laughter, she pulled out her phone and quickly took a picture as she contemplated whether to send this to Nadia.

"Mommy!" Two sets of footsteps came padding from around the hallway and Maya looked up to see her twin daughters, Alisha and Rhea, running towards her. Beaming, she knelt down and gathered both of them in her arms, kissing each of them on the cheek.

"Hi sweeties!" She whispered. "Did you have fun with Daddy today?"

Alisha nodded. "Uh-huh, we played circus all day! And then Daddy slept all day so we were gonna play dress up."

Maya snorted. For a five year old, her math was impeccable. Though when she took another look at her sleeping husband, she certainly found that to be an accurate assessment. "Oh really?" she quirked an eyebrow, tilting her head towards him. "So I'm guessing Daddy wasn't the one who put that makeup on his face?"

She immediately straightened. "It was Rhea's idea!"

Her sister gaped at her. "Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

There was a sound of someone clearing his throat and they turned to find Damien watching them, amused at what he'd just woken up to. "What was Rhea's idea?"

"Hi Daddy!" Both of them trotted over to him, laughing as they climbed into his lap.

"Hey there, peaches!" He grinned, which made Maya giggle some more at the way the makeup "enhanced" that. "You girls having fun?"

"Yeah, _lots_!"

Maya walked up to him and he leaned forward, kissing her on the cheek. When she stepped back, she was lightly rubbing her face. "Everything okay?"

"Oh Damien," she could only shake her head. "Yeah. It's just … you look _so_ gorgeous, today."

He raised an eyebrow. "Uh … thanks, but I'm wearing the same clothes I wear to work." Then he smirked. "Didn't know you liked them _this_ much."

"I do, but that's not the point." She was biting her lip, still struggling to hold in her laughter. "You just look … dazzling." At his confused look, she added to it. "Go look in the mirror."

Now completely suspicious, he walked to the bathroom. Maya covered her mouth with her hand as soon as his back was turned, waiting for his inevitable-

"All right, which one of you did this?" As Damien walked out, Alisha and Rhea exchanged glances, knowing that no excuse they made up would work on their father. After a few moments of him watching both of them expectantly, the two girls slowly pointed at each other.

"I think that's their way of saying it was a team effort," Maya said.

"What? Mommy likes it! Look, she's laughing!" Rhea was gesturing to her mother, who sure enough, was failing to keep a serious face.

"Well it's creative I'll give you that," Damien chuckled as he started wiping his face against his jacket, his eyes widening slightly when he saw the abysmal amount of blush that rubbed off on the leather. "Good lord, how much did you use?!"

"I'm sorry," Alisha said. "I just wanted to make your face pretty for the party. Are you mad?"

He laughed and ruffled her hair as he bent down to their level. "No, I'm just wondering why you two picked _my_ face to make up."

"Ali wanted to play with makeup and I didn't want it on my face," Rhea said matter-of-factly.

"So you thought my face was a better idea?"

She shrugged, in a comical show of nonchalance. "It's not my fault you fell asleep."

Maya couldn't take it anymore and she burst out laughing at that. Damien shot her a mock glare before turning to his daughters again. "Speaking of the party, shouldn't you two be getting ready?"

"Okay!" Alisha's face lit up. "Can I wear that flower dress from last week?"

"You can wear whatever you want, princess." Damien leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then did the same for Rhea. "Just do me a favor and stay away from the makeup this time?"

"Ewww, Daddy you got lipstick on us!"

"Yeah? Well here, have some more!" He lunged at them again, trying to rub his face against theirs and they squealed and wriggled out of his arms, before scampering to their room, laughing.

Once they were gone, Damien turned to his wife, who was _still _snickering at him. "You finished?"

Maya quickly silenced herself, biting her lip as she nodded. "Mmhmm."

"You realize-" He stopped when she started giggling again and then immediately stopped. Now that their kids were out of earshot, he reached forward and flicked her on the nose, smirking at the way her face scrunched up in response, and then dodging when she poked him several times in retaliation. Somehow, he ended up holding her from behind, keeping her hands still. "You realize that they get this from you, right?"

"Aww I'm sorry," she said with a cheeky grin. "I _have_ always said that you're way too much fun to mess with."

He sighed. "What am I gonna do with you?"

"I think the better question is, how do you sleep through _two_ five-year-olds putting makeup on your _face_?"

Damien just shrugged. "I must've been tired. And apparently to two five-year-olds, that's prime real estate for dress-up." He stepped back and rubbed his forehead, shaking his head when he managed to recover more eyeshadow.

"Well I think you did _very_ nicely." She turned around and looped her arms around his neck, kissing him sweetly, only to wrinkle her nose when she tasted both lipstick and her raspberry-flavored chapstick on him. Maya buried her face in his shoulder and started cracking up again.

"Okay, I think it's safe to say you need to find a better place to hide your makeup."

"All right, you." Maya pushed him back towards the bathroom, wiping a few laughter-induced tears from her eyes. "Come on, let's find some makeup remover."


	7. Azul

**Summary:** Maya's feeling a little blue and Damien has no idea why. He comforts her, which leads to an important conversation.

* * *

"Maya, I'm home!" Damien walked through the front door only to stop when he heard sniffling. When he looked up, Maya was waiting for him, tears running down her cheeks.

"You're crying …"

Her face reddened and she turned away. "No," she insisted. "I'm fine."

Frowning, Damien followed her to the couch where she stood, visibly shaking as she wiped her face. He turned her around to face him, giving her a hard look. "You sure about that?" The only answer he got was another sniffle. "Okay, we're not going to dinner like this. If a waiter sees you like that, they'll think we're trying to score a free meal." He chuckled good-naturedly.

"Why are you being so mean?"

His eyes widened when she began to sob, putting her face in her hands as she sat back on the couch.

"Hey … whoa, whoa … I'm sorry, I was just kidding!" Damien knelt in front of her and placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly. "Here-" he handed her some tissues from a box nearby. She started wiping her tears even as more began to spill. Thoroughly concerned now, he sat on the edge of the coffee table, clasping his hands together. "Tell me what's wrong, Maya."

Maya went silent at that, letting her hands drop into her lap and then she looked back at him, biting her lower lip. "I need to tell you something Damien."

He nodded, listening intently. And possibly preparing for the worst.

"I screwed up your chocolate recipe."

If there was ever a time for a car to come to a screeching halt, causing a domino of accidents, or for a cartoon character to have their jaw literally drop to the floor for comic effect, it was now.

Damien blinked once then twice and he proceeded to gape at her for a few seconds. _Is this what it feels like to have a stroke?_ Then he felt his throat closing up as the laughter bubbling in him threatened to burst.

A snort escaped him and her eyes filled with tears again. "Stop it," she whined. But it was already too late. He just couldn't help it. Damien started laughing while simultaneously trying to hold it back, though he was failing. Miserably. "Stop laughing, Damien!"

"Sorry … I'm sorry …" Damien took a few unsteady breaths, trying to rein himself in, only to lose it again - at the mere thought of how worried he'd been when he'd seen her cry and then knowing what it had turned out to be. Once he'd calmed himself down, he faced her again, shaking his head. "You're telling me you've been crying all this time, just over _this_?"

"This isn't just a small matter, Damien!" she insisted through her tears. "So our neighbors were asking for those homemade chocolates you've been making and I decided to try doing it." Damien's eyes widened and she quickly added, "I know, I know, you don't think cooking is exactly my 'forte'" She gestured with air-quotes, annoyed. "So I took precautions. I called your mom and got the recipe and I followed the instructions to the letter. _The letter._"

"I get it, Maya." Damien wiped away some tears of his own, his face scrunched up comically in an agonizing struggle to keep a straight face. "But why were you-"

"I'm telling you, Damien. It _looked perfect_! So I made it and shaped it into letters and everything. But when I tasted it, it was awful and I didn't know why." She cried even harder while Damien was looking more and more perplexed as the story progressed. "I double checked the items. Then when I looked at one of the containers I'd used, I realized that what I thought was a jar of sugar was actually salt." She pouted. "_Salt!_"

Damien's head was in his hands, muffling his laughter again. When he looked up, she was burying her face in the couch cushion and he quickly sobered. "All right, all right come here." She shook her head, still refusing to lift her head from the pillow. He scooted over and pulled her into his lap. "Come on Maya, please don't cry. I hate it when you cry."

"Why, wouldn't you rather just laugh at me?"

"Sweetheart, I don't need a reason to laugh at you." Her eyes narrowed into a glare and he quickly added: "And that's one of the reasons I love you, because you're just naturally hilarious and so damn adorable …" He held her more closely and kissed her temple. "I came in worried sick, and then find that _this_ is why you're so upset? You have to admit that _is_ kinda funny."

She rolled her eyes. "All right, I forgive you, you ass."

"And you're so sweet and beautiful …"

"Okay, I get it."

"No seriously, that was really sweet of you to do that."

"You don't know how excited I was when you decided to come home early to see this and then I completely messed it up."

"It's okay, Maya. It's the effort that counts." He was rubbing her back comfortingly. "Hell, the way you were crying when I came in here I was worried that you were hurt or something!"

"But I _am_ hurt!" She pouted. "We're already engaged and I can't even make a simple chocolate! What if … what if we have kids later and I still can't get this stuff right?"

"Ookay, I'm not really sure where this is coming from but where did you get the idea that I'm marrying you for your cooking?" He cocked his head, smirking at her. "I knew what I was getting into when I proposed. And I do recall you mentioning at a certain national monument that I would be doing all the work?"

"Good point." Her face lit up when recalling that memory. "So you'll do the cooking, birthday cakes and more. What would I do then? With our hypothetical kids?"

"All kinds of things." He thought on it for a moment. "Like … I definitely see you being the 'fun mom'. You'd play all kinds of games with them at home, host movie marathons …"

"Playdates and silly dance parties … which you'd be part of, by the way."

"'Course I would," Damien snorted. "It'd be like when I grew up with my sisters."

"Playing of _Queen of Stormholt_?"

"And helping them with their homework, driving them everywhere, boy advice and more …"

"Well that'll _definitely_ be interesting." She said with a cheeky grin. "You're protective enough as it is."

"Hey, so are you." He chuckled. "I mean, can you imagine tiny little Mrs. Nazario facing down a PTA mom?"

Her face paled and she pushed back. "Whoa now, who says I'm going anywhere near that cesspool?" Damien was about to say something else, but she interrupted him. "Seriously, Damien. I'd rather let Rowan West teach me AP Literature."

He put his hands up in a show of surrender. "Hey, it's just an example! And what if the kid wants dance lessons? Won't you still have to deal with it then?"

"That's different. I can at least separate that from the place where they get their report cards."

"Fair point."

"So you'll protect them from bad boys and I'll protect them from crazy dance moms. Sound about right?"

"I think so." He grinned. "Looks like we'll make one hell of a team."

Maya gestured to the kitchen, still not completely satisfied. "But Damien, I can't even tell the difference between salt and sugar!" She lamented. "How can I possibly handle a kid?"

"Don't worry about anything, Maya. I think you'd make a fantastic mom. You're the most wonderful, caring person around. And I'll be with you at every step."

She snuggled further into his chest as the endless possibilities soared through her mind, beyond what they'd just talked about. "And you'd be a wonderful dad, Damien." She whispered.

"Got me pegged already?"

"You're pegged, Nazario. For real this time."

"Guess I am. In a good way obviously." He leaned back, smiling softly. "Feel better now?"

"Loads. Sorry about that earlier. I don't know what came over me."

"And you're sure everything's okay?"

"I …" She suddenly went still in his arms, seeming to contemplate something before she stood up. "It's just that with Nadia and Steve's kid and also when I see Sloane and Khaan with Hamza, I've just been thinking about it more lately." Maya looked up at him with a soft smile. "I know it's a little early to think about, but-"

Damien laughed at that. "Maya, we're getting _married_. I'd be concerned if we hadn't _already_ thought about it." He noticed a flash of relief on her face at that and watched her quizzically. "Is there something else bothering you?"

"No." She shook her head, smiling. "Not anymore."

* * *

_**One week later …**_

Maya paced back and forth, wringing her hands as she tried to forget how nervous she was.

For the past few weeks, she'd been feeling sick. She hadn't thought much of it until she'd started having periodic dizzy spells. Then she'd missed her period, which started the nagging doubt that had prompted a trip to the drug store. The first test had been negative, so she'd just chalked it up to stress and forgotten the whole thing.

But then her obsession with chocolate had started up recently and at times, she would find herself getting upset over the silliest things, just like she had last week. _How did I miss this the first time?_

And now, here she was again sitting in the bathroom of hers and Damien's apartment waiting for something to appear that may change their life. When Maya had first had her suspicions, the first reaction had been nothing short of excitement. It was only minutes later as her thoughts got ahead of her that the worry had began to settle in.

_Is it too soon?_

It wasn't as though she and Damien didn't see kids in their future. No, they'd definitely talked about having a family. The original plan had been to live together, get married, _then_ have kids once they were financially stable. They were still engaged now and things had been going smoothly until one day when she'd decided to surprise him on his lunch break on his birthday, and around that time, she'd missed her depo shot.

Therefore here she was now, waiting for the results of her second pregnancy test.

But unlike the first time, all of her earlier anxiety had now dissipated. With her conversation with Damien in mind, Maya could only laugh at herself. How could she doubt for even a second whether he'd be happy with the news? Or how soon or how late? None of that mattered anymore so long as they were together - so long as if the stick turned blue, it would be because of him.

Maya couldn't help daydreaming just a little more as she waited impatiently.

Spending hours just looking at the baby as it slept, 'talking' to it, responding to its adorable babbling, arguing over whose turn it was to change the diapers and having different opinions on who was doing it right. She'd teach them Hindi and he'd teach them Spanish-

The chiming from her phone brought Maya out of her thoughts and she immediately rushed to the sink where the test was sitting there, waiting for her. Taking a deep breath, she reached out and picked it up.

It was blue.


	8. Afternoon Nap

**A/N:** Takes place shortly after the end of Book 2. Nothing much to this, really. Just some pointless fluff. Enjoy!

**Summary:** A simple afternoon nap leads to an important conversation

* * *

Maya stretched her arms lazily as she sat up in bed, reveling in the bright, afternoon sunlight refracting through the window. As she moved to get up, something held her back.

Damien's arms were wrapped around her waist and his cheek pressed into her shoulder. She smiled softly as she took in the blissful look on his face. After the cluster of stress that had been the last couple of weeks, it was nice to see him relaxed for once.

After exposing Eros, they'd all gone on a well-deserved vacation at the expense of the government – an actual vacation that didn't involve hiding from psychotic corporations – in a famous resort, staying in a deluxe suite. And after all the hell they'd been through and the taunting they'd endured from the public after that TV show fiasco, everyone had been more than happy to accept it.

The pleasant aroma from outside brought her out of her reverie and she knew it was time to get up and meet everyone for lunch soon. Maya turned slightly to kiss Damien's forehead. "D, wake up." There was no response from him. "This is the longest afternoon nap we've ever had," she muttered, gently prying at his fingers to loosen his hold. As she scooted away, Damien's features twisted into a frown and his arms pulled her back, securing their hold on her again.

"Umm . . . Damien?" She stifled a giggle when he grunted in his sleep and nuzzled into her neck. Maya stayed like that for a few more moments, feeling his steady heartbeat against her, his chest rising and falling evenly as he sighed contently.

She watched him adoringly for a few more minutes, then at some point, remembered why she'd wanted to get up in the first place. Maya reluctantly placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him awake. "Huh . . . what?" He opened his eyes to find her grinning at him. "Morning," he said with a sleepy yawn.

"Nope, still afternoon."

"Right," Damien chuckled, pulling her even closer to him. "A whole afternoon with you; I could get used to this. Holding you in my arms, not worrying about anything else . . . just you and me."

"Pfft. And you say I'm the corny one."

"Can't help it," he replied. "Spending time with you would do that- hey!" He dodged her attempt to elbow him. "What was that for?"

Maya bent down and planted a quick kiss on his lips. "It's time to get up."

"No." Damien buried his head back in his pillow. "We stay in bed."

"_You_ can stay here if you want. _I_ am going to go get ready for lunch."

"Fine!" he huffed, shooting her a mocking look of hurt. "Leave me all alone in here, then."

She raised an eyebrow at his pouting. "Oh. My. God. Are you _sulking_?" This time he didn't answer. _Gods, he is so whiny when sleep deprived. _Maya shook her head at him, then proceeded to coax him; she found herself crooning softly as if she was consoling a child. Damien merely took another pillow and plopped it over his head as if to block her out.

"Ugh, fiiiine. But you just remember one thing." Then she smirked and leaned into him, brushing her lips against his ear. At such a close distance, she could see him opening his eyes curiously. "I liiiiiike you," she whispered cheekily.

His eyes narrowed. "Okay that's it," he growled. "C'mere!" Damien lunged at her just as she turned away from him, pinning her to the bed and settling his full body weight on her.

"Damien-!" she squealed. "You're gonna- ahh!" Her protests changed to laughter as he tickled her with one hand, holding her wrists behind her back with the other.

"You're all sorts of trouble, today." Damien whispered huskily in her ear.

"Getting overwhelmed, Nazario-_ohhh_ . . ." Maya lost all train of thought as his hand slid under her shirt. He let out a deep chuckle that she could feel in her skin as his fingers brushed over her chest.

"Interesting rendition of my name. Care to say it again?"

"Damien . . ." Maya whined. "We gotta go soon!" She squirmed, albeit halfheartedly, losing herself in his touch.

"Nice try," Damien released her wrists and turned her face towards his. "You're mine now, Park." He captured her lips in a fierce kiss and she responded just as fiercely, turning in his arms so she was on her back and wrapping her arms around his neck.

Her breath hitched when his lips brushed against her ear. "Mmmm, I love it when you take charge." He nipped her earlobe gently and a breathy moan escaped the back of her throat. She turned her head and forced his mouth back on hers, swiping her tongue along his bottom lip and drawing him in.

Damien hummed contently, his soft kisses turning rough as he trailed down her neck towards her collarbone. Maya felt her back sink further into the mattress as he pressed his body flush against hers. Her fingers weaved into his soft hair and gripped him more closely, intoxicated by the feeling of his lips on her neck, teeth grazing here and there, nibbling softly.

"Damien . . ." Maya gasped, breathless.

"Mmmm . . ." He increased the pressure on her neck, sucking on a soft spot. Every sound he made vibrated through her, sending warm tingles south. "Maya . . ."

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_ The door's knocking snapped them both out of their trance.

"If you two are done banging, it's time for lunch!"

"_Nadia!_"

Damien immediately climbed off of Maya and sat up. "We're not-"

"Nooo worries, D . . ." she giggled. "Your mom just sent me up here to tell you that lunch is ready."

Both of them scrambled off the bed, mumbling in agreement. Once they'd thrown some new clothes on and smoothed their hair, Maya was heading for the door only to stop when she felt Damien tug at her wrist.

"Damien if we're late again, Nadia's gonna have a field day . . ." She went silent when she saw that his expression had changed. His eyes had softened and he was looking at her with a vulnerability that she definitely knew meant that he had something to say. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, more than okay. Actually, I-" he cleared his throat quickly and then took her other hand in his. "I've been thinking about this, about _us_ for sometime now and especially this morning. And I like where we are." Damien looked into her eyes earnestly as he spoke. "I've had a chance to date you for real these past few weeks. Even though it hasn't been that long . . ."

"I know," she said smiling. Maya wasn't exactly sure where this conversation was going, but she could already feel her nerves tingling in anticipation. "Although honestly, it doesn't feel like that for me. Maybe 'cause we've known each other so long that we're already way past that getting-to-know-you phase. I'm already so comfortable with you, I don't feel the need to slow down."

"You're right. I thought that us having a key to each other's apartments-"

"And saying the 'L word'," she piped in.

Damien grinned bashfully. "-was enough at that time as far as taking things to the next level." Then he stepped closer to her. "I wanted to experience what it's like just being with you like we're just ordinary people who aren't in danger. But now I realize I actually want more. I want more than just having our homes open to each other." He then took a deep breath, bracing himself. "I want to _be_ your home."

Maya was dimly aware of her hands shaking as she held his more tightly, watching him with widened eyes. "Damien . . . are you asking me to . . ."

The shining spark of joy in her eyes emboldened him to keep going. "I love waking up with you in the morning, watching you come out of the bathroom half dressed because you 'forgot your shampoo', when you answer my door wearing nothing but my shirt every time my neighbor brings my mail, taking the subway home together after work . . . and so much more, but I think you get the point."

Tears were forming in the corner of her eyes. "Damien . . ."

"I'd like for us to move in together." When Maya didn't answer right away, he quickly added. "But if you're not ready yet, I understand. There's no rush. Just saying that whenever you are, I'm ready too-" He was cut off by her crashing her lips to his, her arms wound tightly around his neck. She then stepped back, giggling.

He quirked an eyebrow, amused. "What's so funny?"

"Damien Nazario, you are so cute." She chuckled. "You did that entire speech just to ask me to move in?! For a second there, I thought you were proposing!"

"Maya, we're half asleep, just out of our pajamas, inside a hotel suite and I don't even have a ring. You really think I'd plan a proposal this way?"

"I know, I know." She wrapped her arms around him, reveling in his warmth.

"Well when I do, believe me when I say I'm gonna make it count."

'_When _I do'. Not '_if_', but '_when_'. That choice of words was all she could fixate on as her mind raced with endless scenarios of the life she'd always wanted with this man. The life she'd already chosen for herself long before this conversation even took place. "Yes," she said without any hesitation.

"Hmm?"

"Let's move in together."

He stepped back, shocked. "Really?" His lips spread into a wide grin.

"Yes, really!" She jumped right back into his arms, squealing and laughing as they both stumbled back onto the bed. Their limbs tangled with each other and the sheets as they kissed again and again, not caring if anyone heard them this time.

"Maya . . ." he mumbled against her lips at some point.

"Yes, roomie?"

Damien let out a low chuckle at that, gently running his hands up her waist as she straddled him. "Weren't we supposed to go to lunch not too long ago?" She paused and drew back to find him grinning smugly at her. "Thought you said we were gonna be late."

"Ah who cares?" She surged forward to kiss him again. "You've already sidetracked me."

He laughed and quickly maneuvered to the side. "Come on, let's go. We can finish this later."

"Oh fine." Maya huffed, getting out of bed and following him to the door. "I'm gonna hold you to that, you know."

Damien stopped just as he opened it, a challenging smirk on his face. "Is that a threat or a promise?"

She stood on her tiptoes, balancing herself with a hand on his shoulder, then tilted her head up to brush her lips against his.

"I think you already know, Sir."


End file.
